Man breaks into lodges, steals over US$11k worth o...

Man breaks into lodges, steals over US$11k worth of goods

Zim Now Writer

A man who broke into 19 lodges, cottages and holiday homes in Juliasdale and Nyanga where he stole property worth US$10 850 has appeared in court facing unlawful entry charges.

Charles Munetsi, 28, of Nyamusosa Village in Headlands pleaded guilty to all 19 counts of unlawful entry.

Nyanga magistrate, Constance Marutya sentenced him to 18 years behind bars, of which three were suspended on condition of good behaviour while a further six were set aside on condition that he restitutes US$5 280 to his victims by December 31, 2023.

Tapiwa Mashanda, who prosecuted, said Munetsi stole goods such as television sets, kitchen utensils, bed linen, clothes, foodstuffs and Closed Circuit Television servers, which made tracking him difficult.

“From March 8, 2021 to January 5, 2023, Munetsi unlawfully entered into 19 premises in Juliasdale and Nyanga. He would use an iron bar to forcibly open doors and went away unnoticed. The value of the stolen goods is US$10 850.

“On January 11, detectives received information from a reliable informer that Munetsi was in possession of various stolen property at his homestead in Headlands. Detectives picked Munetsi the same day for interviews.

“Munetsi led the detectives to the recovery of some of the property at his home and from some buyers. He also led detectives to the crime scenes and made positive indications on how he committed the offences,” said Mashanda.